Alarmed by rising fires, Sonepat DC calls for safety audit in factories
Mukesh Tandon
Sonepat, June 13
With the rising number of fire incidents, the Sonepat district administration has pulled up its socks to conduct fire, health and safety audit of factories. The move aims at ensuring strict implementation of safety norms in industries.
DC Writes to senior officers
The Deputy Commissioner has written to the Director General, Industries and Commerce Department; Director, Fire and Emergency Services; Labour Commissioner; Chief Boiler Inspector; and the Additional Director to Industry (Safety and Health) to conduct the audit of factories in the district. Sources said there were around 6,000 industries in Kundli, Rai, Murthal, Nathupur, Barhi and Sonepat industrial areas.
The Deputy Commissioner has written to the Director General, Industries and Commerce Department; Director, Fire and Emergency Services; Labour Commissioner; Chief Boiler Inspector; and the Additional Director to Industry (Safety and Health) to conduct the audit of factories in the district. Sources said there were around 6,000 industries in Kundli, Rai, Murthal, Nathupur, Barhi and Sonepat industrial areas.
On May 28, 12 persons, including a factory owner and president of Rai Industrial Manufacturing Association (RIMA), were killed and 54 persons sustained injuries after a major fire broke out in Sanwaria Rubber Factory at the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) in Rai. The incident had raised several questions over the safety norms adopted by factory owners.
On May 15, six labourers were killed and around 25 were injured after a fire broke out at a factory in the Kundli industrial area.
On May 7, a liquor manufacturing factory was destroyed by fire in Jahri village after a spirit tank exploded. An employee was killed in this incident. Two more utensil manufacturing units were engulfed in fire on May 30.
Several major fire incidents have been reported in Kundli, Rai and Barhi recently. In Barhi, a fire broke out at a factory and the fire was so huge that it also engulfed the adjoining factory four days ago. The Gannaur SDM also conducted an inquiry into the matter and found several anomalies at the site.
Sources said most of the industrial units in the district had not implemented safety norms or maintained their fire safety equipment, which is a big reason behind fire incidents and loss of lives in these mishaps.
The HSIIDC, too, recently served an advisory to factory owners in the Barhi industrial area for the implementation of safety norms.
In a letter written to the higher authorities, Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar stated, “The district has witnessed various industrial accidents recently. These incidents occurred in the form of huge fires and boiler blasts which created a huge impact on infrastructure and lives of workers.”
“Considering that fire incidents are a potential threat to life and health of the workforce, it is requested that an inspection be carried out in industries,” the letter reads.
